Held in Contempt for Love
by Lyra Harp
Summary: If laughter is a disease, then forced laughter must be contagious. If causing your master to laugh is a crime, then Sebastian would gladly be convicted. The chance, simply the chance, to see his master smile would be well worth any punishment a human could give. If Sebastian couldn't escape punishment from his master, what kind of butler would he be?


**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Kuroshitsuji_.

~0~

"Master, Lady Elizabeth has arrived." Sebastian had been trying to set up a romantic outing for the young couple for months, and yet his young master continued to dismiss the idea at the ridiculous notion that he had too much work. If he kept giving that excuse, he would never go outside. Whether Ciel liked it or not, he was going outside today. Not for some social outing where he had to prove his worth to the adults who owned companies below him. Sebastian would always be there to kindly shoo (scare) them away from his young master so that he may have some semblance of peace. Today, he was going to enjoy himself. He just had to start the day off right. Sebastian would make sure of that. He had succeeded at his task so far. He had provided his master with his favorite breakfast, woke him more gently than he would have other days, and let him be alone with his thoughts at the bay window with a cup of tea in hand for a full hour. All he had to do now was get him outside. Although... "It is rude to keep a lady waiting." His master was acting quite odd. "Master?"

Sebastian walked over to where his master was sitting. He glazed out the window, tea cup still in hand. Sebastian frowned. Very odd, indeed. His master hadn't even finished his morning cup of tea.

Quite a predicament. How was he ever going to awaken Ciel from his temporary slumber without having the tea splatter all over Ciel's clean clothes? He couldn't delay any longer. Lady Elizabeth couldn't be kept waiting. She would begin to worry, and that concern would draw her upstairs to see what was taking Ciel so long. He couldn't let Elizabeth see his master like this. It would cause both of them a great deal of stress. Stress that could have easily been avoided had he simply acted sooner.

Sebastian brushed the back of Ciel's neck. It was a rather simple gesture. Surely his master wouldn't take any offense if-

_That noise_. Sebastian's eyes widened._ It couldn_'_t possibly-_

He tried again before freezing at the sight of Ciel's fleeting smile.

Ciel slapped Sebastian's hand away before lowering his head so that his bangs covered his eyes. "Stop it."

"Master?"

"Know your place."

"I'm sorry, sir."

Sebastian watched his master tread out of his room with a frown on his face. _Master_...

~0~

Ciel continued to daydream the entire day. He did not eat a substantial amount of lunch to sustain himself until dinner. He continued to stare at the sea as his fiance busied herself picking flowers for her beloved. Ciel was caught up in the event of the morning. He was suspicious of Sebastian's motives, of course, but that wasn't the real issue. What happened at the bay window was a terrible mistake and a sign of weakness of his part. Laughter is a virus in the system. The happiness drawn from the core is nothing more than fantasy invading reality. Something which Ciel would never consciously let happen. Sebastian had just surprised him. It was a small slip up. As such, he would never let it happen again. Nothing more, and nothing less, could be expected of the earl Phantomhive.

When Ciel heard the familiar clanking of heels he addressed Sebastian once more. "Sebastian, would you be kind enough to guide Lady Elizabeth back to her manor?"

"Of course, sir."

"Ciel!"

"Lizzie," Ciel said informally out of respect for his fiance's wishes.

Lizzie clapped. "You remembered!"

"Yes."

"Lady Elizabeth, if I may," Sebastian interrupted with his typical devilish smile. "Master Ciel is rather worn out after such an extravagant afternoon. If you would give me the honor of escorting you-"

"Worn out?" Lizzie asked in concern before grabbing Ciel's hands in her own. "Ciel, are you ill?"

"Merely tired," Ciel said with a worn out smile. Ciel removed his hands from Elizabeth's and placed his right hand on top of her hair, brushing a strand behind her ear. "I'll be fine. I require more rest; that is all."

"Well...Alright."

"Shall we go now, my lady?"

Lizzie followed Sebastian to her carriage. Once the carriage, and Sebastian, were out of sight, Ciel sighed. _Peace and quiet at last_.

~0~

His butler made no promise that he wouldn't 'slip up' again. Of course the young earl's dignity was expected to be kept intact. But one must never forget that he was a demon. Was he really expected to let the vision of seeing his master smile go? As a butler, the answer was obvious. Of course his master would expect him to remain in check. But that didn't stop him from fidgiting in his presense, now did it? He glanced over frequently whenever he was behind the earl, as if he half expected him to reach out to test his patience. On the surface, Sebastian remained the ever faithful butler. Sebastian's core, however, deemed to be recognized. As a demon, the temptation to reach out and make his master rejoice weighed heavily on him. All a demon does, contrary to popular belief, is care for its master. Once a contract is made, it can never be ripped off like a bandaid. It can weaken to a pitiful, worn out string, but it can never break. The connection will always be there no matter what, or who, gets in the way. A demon can terrorize whoever it wants _except _its master.

Humans easily forget the difference. 'Demons are foul creatures. They rip out your heart on a silver platter and eat it for lunch.' How crude. Humans are worse than demons held to a contract. Humans are the ones who hold the prize above others heads and expect the victim to jump. Sebastian had bared witness to countless incidents where humans whipped others for amusement, burned fresh fire victims with alcohol only to hear them scream, and ate foul creatures for reasons even he could not comprehend. 'Heaven on earth' indeed. The humans with a soul are worse than the shimigami because some can't bare to have a conscious. A tamed dog is the most insightful creature. It can sniff out trouble, spot a threat a mile away, and understands the difference between right and wrong as long as its master provides strict rules to follow. His master ordered him to remain by his side until the end. But if his presense makes his master uncomfortable, then for the greater good known as his master's well being, a sacrifice will have to be made.

~0~

"Master, I hate to be the bearer of bad news..." Sebastian trailed off the get Ciel's attention.

He looked up. "Get on with it."

Sebastian smiled inwardly. "I'm terribly sorry sir, but Mrs. Bright is ill and is incapable of teaching you today-" _How on earth is this bad news? Now he could work without taking unnecessary breaks_. "So I'm afraid that I will have to be your dancing instructor for the day."

Sebastian lost Ciel's interest immediately as he looked down at his desk, fully intent on going back to work. "I'd rather not."

"Your dance skills are hardly elementary." Sebastian attempted to grab Ciel's hand. "Come, let me show-"

"I said no!"

"Master?"

"Leave my side at once. I have too much work and too little time to spend it on such rudimentary things as dancing." _What was he doing? Why was he standing there? Did he not hear him? No, he must have_. _Then why did he not do as he said and leave him?_

"Master, are you alright?"

Ciel blinked at him. _What a foolish question_. "I assure you that I am quite alright."

Sebastian continued to stare at him as if he was not satisfied with his answer. "You seem to be oddly conflicted today. Is something troubling you?"

Ciel looked away as if Sebastian was a trivial thing hardly worth his attention. And a trivial thing he was, questioning his answer to meaningless question. "I am fine. Now leave my side."

"Forgive me master, but I must disobey."

"What?" Sebastian gracefully swept Ciel up and placed him none too gently on his bed. "Sebastian, I order you-"

"Hush, Ciel."

His face was lit ablaze by the personal boundaries being broken one by one. First by a gentle touch made to bring light to the gloomy shadows in Ciel's natural soul, and now his name was being spoken instead of his title? What was next? Was a gift handmade by the demon 'out of the goodness of his heart' going to be handed to him? Rubbish. The world would explode before that happened. Regardless, this foolishness could-

A black feather dusted his cheek.

-not-

Neck.

-continue.

Side.

"S-Stop this i-insolent game."

_Oh master_, _there is nowhere you could ever hide_. _I see your smile and your foolish attempts to conceal your true feelings_. _There was never any game_. _There is no prize to be won, nothing to be gained, if you reveal yourself to me_. _I already know you inside and out_. _That is why I do this, master_. _For your sake_. _We shall go back to being master and servant tomorrow_._ I shall never step out of my boundaries again_._ I assure you of that_._ But for today, let me see you smile_.

There it was. Sebastian made sure that it stayed with the laughter, if only for a few minutes, before slowing down his ministrations. He removed himself from Ciel's personal space and stood next to him along the bed. Even when Ciel would be the one to fall, he would stand. Sebastian helped Ciel stand up after undergoing the exhausting activity of releasing his emotions. "Shall I prepare tea for you, master?"

"Yes." The ruitine slowly fell back into place. Ciel would slowly become more comfortable around Sebastian as time droned on. "Sebastian?"

"Master?"

"Never do that again."

Sebastian smiled before bowing. There would always be a balance between them. They would always be together. They were a pair to be reckoned with. "Yes, my lord."

Sebastian would make sure of it.

**Author's Note:** Reviews are appreciated, though not required. Thank you for reading.


End file.
